About Romantic black metal
When Stein Akslen launched Minneriket he labeled the music as "Romantic black metal", challenging the orthodox understanding of what constitutes black metal as a genre, and removing the shackles of genre limitations and audience expectations. Minneriket defines Romantic black metal as a musical artform that combines and incorporates themes and aesthetics associated with romanticism with the unique atmosphere of Norwegian black metal.
Romanticism was a movement in European art and literature that emerged in the late 18th century and reached its peak in the mid-19th century. The romantic art emphasized emotion, imagination, and individualism, and celebrated the beauty and power of nature, mythology, and the unknown. The works of key figures of the Romantic art period such as Blake, Byron and Goya sought to convey intense feelings and experiences through the use of vivid colors, dramatic lighting, and expressive words to convey life and death.
As a performer of Romantic black metal, Minneriket draws inspiration from this movement and use imagery and symbolism associated with gothic and romantic literature, such as dark forests, ancient ruins, and mystical landscapes. The music combines the raw and aggressive sound of traditional black metal with atmospheric and melodic elements, including the use of keyboards and orchestral arrangements. Minneriket also incorporates introspective lyrics exploring themes such as nature, melancholy, sorrow, transcendence and existensialism.
The idea of Romantic black metal is that is is a form of art that combines the intense emotional expression of black metal with the themes and aesthetics of the Romantic art period. Through the music, Minneriket seek to convey the power and beauty of nature, the unknown, and the individual experience, drawing on the rich tradition of Romantic art to create a unique and compelling form of artistic expression. Stein Akslen wants the music to be characterized by a focus on emotional expression and a rejection of the nihilistic and simple misanthropic themes often found in other forms of black metal.
